Social networking websites for sharing digital videos are common and well known in the art. These websites enable users to upload user-generated or user-recorded digital videos to a server and/or database of the network and share their digital videos with other users on the network to view the digital video. Moreover, digital videos previously uploaded to the network and stored on the network database can be retrieved and locally played back by a plurality of other users on the network. Some such websites may also enable the users to comment on a digital video by allowing them to submit opinions or remarks on a webpage display that contains and/or is linked with the digital video. Comments on a particular digital video may be collectively associated with the digital video and made available for viewing during subsequent playback sessions thereof.
These social networks may enable users to submit and share comments on digital videos, there are still some limitations. At best, the comments submitted by users are associated with the digital video as a whole and are not associated with any particular moment of the digital video. As a result, users wishing to insert a comment typically must specify the particular moment in the digital video that the comment is in reference to. Furthermore, users subsequently viewing the digital video and reading previously submitted comments are often left to guess what moment in the digital video a particular comment is directed to. Additionally, currently existing social networks do not enable users to submit comments in any form other than text data. More particularly, users viewing a digital video and wanting to comment on the digital video are unable to comment on the digital video using audio, video, or any form of data other than simple text.
Baryla, U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,468, discloses a system which enables the recording and displaying of comments associated with a video. However, Baryla is more directed toward video editing and production rather than recording content within socially or publicly shared digital video. Baryla is also solely limited to text comments, and further, requires the video to be paused in order to record a text comment. The system disclosed by Baryla is thus unable to reserve selected video frames to be associated with a comment and dynamically record comments during video playback. Furthermore, Baryla is unable to dynamically display the comments previously recorded without pausing the video.
Walter, et al., U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0180488, disclose a system for processing video content or tags within a video stream. More specifically, the system disclosed by Walter, et al. is capable of accessing tags carried by a video stream and process a time stamp associated with the tag. Based on the tag and an associated time stamp, the system is able to execute a script that is associated with the tag. However, Walter, et al. is directed more towards set-top boxes or units which process streaming video data to be presented on television screens. More particularly, the tags disclosed by Walter, et al. are limited to performing tag actions associated with parental control features rather than providing means for commenting on shared media.
Prijatel, et al., U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0199189, disclose a system for inserting supplemental video and audio content into a transmission stream. In particular, Prijatel, et al. discloses analyzing the appropriate time considerations of a transmission, and further, inserting tags into the transmission stream based on the analysis. The tags inserted by Prijatel, et al. are disclosed to include promotional or advertising content. However, the system disclosed by Prijatel, et al. is limited to simple insertion of the tags and is not associated with particular frames of the existing video content. The system disclosed is thus unable to, for instance, concurrently playback the inserted content during playback of the original video transmission.
Accordingly, there is a need to enable users to insert and record user-generated comments into digital videos by associating the comments with not only the digital video but with specific moments of the digital video. There is also a need to enable users to comment on a digital video not only using text data but with any other medium, such as audio and/or video data. The disclosed systems and methods are directed at addressing one or more of the needs set forth above.